Damascus Celebrates 30 Years at Brisbane Private Hospital

InFocus Issue 22, January 2022

For 30 years at Brisbane Private Hospital, Damascus Health Services has helped to transform the lives of people with alcohol and prescription drug addictions. This revolutionary facility has spearheaded treatments and programs in unique and highly recognised ways for marginalised patients, giving them a place of hope, care and change.

Damascus belatedly celebrated its 30^th anniversary this year as part of Brisbane Private Hospital, and its 41^st anniversary since being created. The centre now looks forward to its continued growth and innovation thanks to its dedicated staff and successful programs. We share its ongoing impact, below.  

The Road to Damascus

Damascus was first created by Father Gerry Nichol in 1980. Emigrating to Australia from Ireland in late 1949, Father Nichol served as a priest of the Brisbane Archdiocese until 1980, when he established and became founding director of Damascus after being treated for alcoholism for several years before. Created in a house at Carseldine, Damascus offered healthcare to people dependent on alcohol and prescription drugs.

The centre was named ‘Damascus’ in recognition of the tremendous effort St Paul had to make, to change direction from ‘Persecutor to Protector’ following his conversion on the way to Damascus. Today Damascus Health Services continues to symbolize a turning point in life’s journey for many.

Father Nichol was widely respected for his expertise, working closely with the Queensland Police Department and the Salvation Army to assist patients. Following his death in 1990, Damascus was incorporated as a twenty-bed unit within Holy Spirit Hospital, now Brisbane Private Hospital.

Thirty years on, it is a nationally renowned 44 bed facility offering in-patient and day-patient treatment opportunities for people with prescription drug and alcohol dependencies. There are currently approximately 1,500 inpatient admissions a year.

Day patients were first treated one day per week in the Damascus day unit from 1997. The day program grew alongside the inpatient program over the years and now two to three groups per day, including Zoom sessions, are run six days per week, helping around 100 day patients per week.

An Evolving Journey

Psychiatrist Dr Nigel Prior joined Damascus in 1992. Asked what he thought Father Nichol would think of today’s Damascus, his response is “I think he’d be amazed and wouldn’t recognise it.” 

“Today’s Damascus is a very big shift from the original, it is much more medicalised and located in a major general hospital. The move to Brisbane Private Hospital was revolutionary because there was no real speciality of addiction medicine at that time, and today’s programs and treatments have evolved exponentially over time.

“This facility has created an important legacy as the only private, stand-alone drug and alcohol unit in a private hospital in South-East Queensland. While other units are incorporated into psychological or rehabilitation units, it is this independent structure plus the incredible, dedicated staff who have made Damascus the success it is today.”

 

Acting Nurse Manager Linda Washburn joined Damascus in 2007 as a Clinical Nurse. She believes several factors contribute to the unit’s ongoing success.

“The Damascus staff are compassionate, dedicated and knowledgeable. We have an amazing team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who are totally patient-driven.

“Our program co-ordinator keeps on top of the latest research and we are proud to have collaborated with universities on research to identify the 80% link between people with depression and anxiety with these addictions. Damascus has also made submissions to government to advocate for better patient protection around particular codeine products, which have led to amendments to the PBS.   

“One of our greatest assets is the focus group we hold once a year to collect feedback that gets shared with the team for continual improvement and refinement. When we identify a gap, we always address it in our programs and services.”

Dr Prior believes Damascus has been able to change so many people’s lives because it is a very solid and constant facility.

“We have an incredible number of long serving doctors and staff, many who have been part of Damascus for nearly its whole time at Brisbane Private Hospital. The staff has been a strong, core group that provide a very high continuity of care, that is also holistic and accesses a wide range of specialties as needed.

“This differentiates us because when the staff who are there know a lot about the patients they have cared for over a long time, it means the patients don’t have to re-explain their stories and can trust that our team will always be there for them.”

Proudly Patient-Focused

Ms Washburn believes the unit is renowned by patients and the medical fraternity due to the substantial amount of input that patients get in their treatment.

“We have created a ‘significant others’ morning every fortnight where partners get to contribute to, and be educated with, the patients. This allows them to work together on a plan for when patients go home. Once a patient’s detox is finished the changes start, and the more involved their partners and families can be, the better.

“Our day program is also vital in the ongoing support for patients. When they feel safe and supported, Damascus becomes a place that is life-changing and lifesaving.”

Recent pandemic challenges saw the Damascus programs adapted and delivered online for the first time to ensure the safety and care of patients and staff. The unit prides itself on evolving, refining and growing its programs, with the team determined to continue its exceptional care for the next 30 years and beyond.

“This anniversary is a remarkable milestone for a facility that works with people who were marginalised and stigmatised. To consistently deliver high quality care to patients who are entitled to that care, is an outstanding achievement,” said Dr Prior.

“We are fortunate to have a great team of people who are passionate and committed. They will carry on this care and legacy and will continue to grow the team with this special ethos.”

For Linda Washburn and her team, Damascus represents the answer for so many. “Damascus is life-changing for people with addiction problems. We are there for people and their families, for however long they need.”